Afghan districts retaken from Taliban

Afghan officials say their forces have retaken two districts earlier captured by the Taliban in the southern region of the country.

Afghan officials said on Wednesday their forces have retaken two districts earlier captured by the Taliban in the southern region of the country.

Police forces entered Miyanishin district of Kandahar province without any resistance or casualties on Tuesday evening, 24 hours after being overrun by Taliban fighters, Esmatuallh Alizai, provincial police chief of Kandahar said.

Alizai said that the police forces made a "tactical withdrawal" from another district, Ghorak, in the same Kandahar province Tuesday afternoon. But Chief of Staff (Operations) for the Afghan army, General Shir Mohammad Karimi said Afghan army and police recaptured the district two hours after they had vacated the town.

Karimi told a press conference Wednesday that police left both district headquarters for "a few hours" but moved into the districts after reinforcements were deployed.

The Taliban had earlier claimed their forces captured Ghorak district late Tuesday, killing five police officers.